Free Beatmaking software

[hhal9000]

I'm trying to track down some software I once used and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what it is called if indeed it still exists. It was a free loopmaking/beatmaking software some thing like Zenbeats which went on to make hardware kiosk versions that could be played live.The software had a wide range of free samples which one could mix together and I think share too online.Had it on my windows PC a few years back and I'd like to try and get it again.Any help tracking it down much appreciated.

[User 905133]

10 minutes ago, hhal9000 said:

I'm trying to track down some software I once used and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what it is called if indeed it still exists. It was a free loopmaking/beatmaking software some thing like Zenbeats which went on to make hardware kiosk versions that could be played live.The software had a wide range of free samples which one could mix together and I think share too online.Had it on my windows PC a few years back and I'd like to try and get it again.Any help tracking it down much appreciated.

This might sound link a stupid question, but did you try looking it up on the internet? I have found many things there. And if you did, what key terms did you use in your search, what year was it available, did you try the way back machine, do you have any screen shots you can post, etc.?

Edited Thursday at 01:57 PM by User 905133
added some questions that might help locating what the OP is looking for

[hhal9000]

Thanks.Yes tried under beatmaker,loopmaker,sample beatmaker etc. don't have a screen shot but the loops were all circular iris looking things,a bit like Reaktor's ''Flesh'' if you have seen that.I'm probably going back about 3 or 4 years maybe.Also it was unique in that a dukebox like size hardware version was created for groups to play live beats.Also the sharing on line of the finished ''groove'' was quite unique at that time.

[User 905133]

Thanks for the clarifications.  I am not familiar with free loop/beat making software, but maybe the additional details will help others to identify it.

Another thought if you haven't tried them yet: some third-party vendors have lists of free software that's available (searchable by categories).

[hhal9000]

Just found it.It was in my free Plugin Boutique account.Anyway it was called Endless and actually classified as a DAW though very basic.Unfortunately the company closed down in May and since it is an on line application it is no longer functioning.A shame though there appear to be a multitude of similar free software like it now.

[User 905133]

45 minutes ago, User 905133 said:

Another thought if you haven't tried them yet: some third-party vendors have lists of free software that's available (searchable by categories).

34 minutes ago, hhal9000 said:

Just found it. It was in my free Plugin Boutique account.Anyway it was called Endless and actually classified as a DAW . . . 

Plugin Boutique was indeed one of the vendors I had in mind. Glad you found it. Even though the company that made Endless closed down, maybe someone knows of something similar that is still available.  

ADDENDUM: There is an Endlesss that says:

Quote

Welcome back to Endlesss

Endlesss is now in the care of HabLab London an organisation founded by Imogen Heap focused on music-tech-for-good. Our first priority has been to bring the Endlesss core app back online for us all as quickly as possible. Now we are currently working on a way to give this a sustainable future.

It isn't our business model to sell your data or your music. We are here because the Endlesss app and community are worth supporting.

See you in the jams!

Is that it?

Edited Thursday at 04:11 PM by User 905133
addendum added; clarification added

[Amberwolf]

Thumbs up to Imogen Heap for all her innovations and support of artistic creativity.

 

Regarding beatmaking....  

I use a number of methods. 

For MIDI controlled samplers (hardware or software) I have used the ancient MFX Musiclab SlicyDrummer Lite, set the track it's in up to drive SessionDrummer (or whatever) with a kit of the sound type that I'm generally after, and hit the random button, playing the loop it gives and shifting each pattern in SDL up or down to drive different drums, until it sounds something like what I want.  If it doesn't work on all the patterns, I'll turn the random-lock on for the ones that do, and then use random again for the ones that don't until something emerges that I like.  Sometimes I'll just turn one or more of those off entirely, so no drums are driven from them.   If SD is still available from ML, I'm sure the full version is more powerful and versatile.  

Sometimes I'll use MIDI loops, either stuff I've made before that turned out well, or ones from various companies (especially the ones that give some away for free now and then, as I don't have any budget for this stuff, and probably haven't made a dollar a year on average from music sales). Then I'll put those into tracks driving Sessiondrummer or another synth (not always a true drum synth; depends on what I'm doing).  Then I poke around at the "tracks" and may use the kick notes to drive some other thing, and the snare to drive the kick, and a hat or whatever to drive a snare, etc, just to see how the patterns work out.   Sometimes there's an instant winner when doing this, sometimes a long while of working gets me nothing I like.  I'll save it anyway in case I decide it fits something else later....

Then other times I'll use audio loops--there are a LOT of free wave files out there, many of them very good quality.  Ghosthack has an annual "advent calendar" full of wave bundles, some of which also have midi files. (many of their purchasable bundles have midi files for the wave files in them, making it easy to use your own sounds to add to or replace theirs, and many of their bundles have everything tracked out to separate stem files...and all of them are "pre-mastered" and generally mix well together without messing around (though I pretty much always mess around with things; it's part of the fun). 

 

Other times I'll just draw everything into a MIDI track to play SD or some other synth.  I also have a yamaha tabletop drumpad thing (m55? ) but I'm terrible at actually playing anything, not enough control over my body in realtime, so I don't do a lot of that anymore. 

 

 

As one example of the audio loop / sample method, the most recent WIP No Bigger Than The Space of Time over here:  

https://amberwolf.bandcamp.com/track/no-bigger-than-the-space-of-time 

In the fourth "movement" it has some Planet Samples stuff from The Sound of Tomorrowland Electro Edition (a free "14-kit" bundle) for kick and snare and bassline, that I turned off snap in SONAR then dropped these in, not aligned.   I also have them stretched out to I think half ish their original speed, because this is a slowish piece.  Hit play, then began nudging them around utnil they sounded the way they do now (whihc isn't how they're supposed to sound).  Stuck in some of the other noises and percussion from earlier movements in the trakc to reprise them and unify this movement with them, and give the feel it now has, to underlie the rest of the piece.   

The ohter movements' percussion is also mostly made up of either pieces of loops (almost all from Ghosthack) or individual sounds cut from loops, or individual wave samples (mostly I don't recall the sources, had some for many years, edited and tweaked and resaved over and over) placed around the tracks.  (there's a screenshot of the piece in the thread linked above).  

 

 

Edited Friday at 02:14 AM by Amberwolf